Forest Encounters

Abstract

Forests are places of mystery and sensory aliveness, full of scents, textures, and for those with active imaginations, fear and enchantment. In fairytales and popular culture, forests are places where witches dwell and large predatory creatures lurk and hide.1The mythology of the forest is that of a place of magic and lore. It is also a place of colonialconsumption, where settlers arrive with surveyor’s tools and a giant saw or feller buncher in tow, first to map out the terrain and then to mow down every viable tree for pulp and lumber. To experience a forest, alone or with others,is an opportunity to face oneself, one’s imagination, and cultural associations with the land.